There are now over 1.1 billion television and video streaming devices, but the market is fragmented in terms of the technical environment. Samsung is the leading brand, with 14% of devices in use. Tizen, backed by Samsung, is the leading platform, with 11% of devices. Although there is some standardisation in terms of streaming, the application environment remains confused.
The research from Strategy Analytics, conducted in the first quarter of 2020, is based on device sales and usage tracking in 27 markets worldwide. It identifies the importance of television streaming platforms and devices in the emergence of internet video services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.
Samsung had 14% of the market, ahead of Sony with 12%, LG with 8%, Hisense and TCL with 5%, just ahead of Amazon.
In terms of operating environment, Tizen led with 11%, WebOS had 7%, Sony PlayStation had 7%, Roku TV OS and Fire OS had 5% each, with Android TV and Microsoft Xbox at 4%, ahead of Chromecast at 3%, Apple tv OS and Firefox OS at 2% each. Other systems made up half the estimated device numbers.
“Over-the-top TV and video streaming to the TV is a complex and evolving landscape compared to mobile devices, where only two platforms dominate,” commented David Watkins of Strategy Analytics. “Content owners and developers need to consider carefully how to target their resources and strategy towards specific brands and platforms, since geographical deployment patterns vary enormously.”
David Mercer of Strategy Analytics added: “As traditional television and video platforms continue to decline, television streaming represents the future of television and video. Over the next decade or so we expect internet streaming to dominate consumption of television and video content across much of the world. This research reflects the early stages in the evolution of the platforms which will come to dominate this ecosystem for many years to come.”